Aston Villa have secured the signing of Alys Hinchcliffe ahead of the resumption of the FAWSL this weekend.
Villa headed into the mid-season break nicely poised in fifth place, but have found themselves struggling for goals in comparison to the rest of the teams in the top half of WSL 2.
With only the bottom three joining the Midlands outfit in having not yet hit double figures, manager Joe Hunt has sensed the need for new additions to rectify that - highlighting Cardiff City forward Hinchcliffe as a target and then bringing her in.
Despite arriving from a third-tier side, the 21-year-old knows all about playing at the higher levels, having featured for Yeovil Town in 2015, while she also boasts 19 caps at youth level for Wales.
Hinchcliffe has even earned call ups to the senior national team, and made her debut against the Czech Republic earlier this year.
Hunt delighted with new signing
Speaking to Villa's official website, manager Hunt expressed his delight with Hinchcliffe's arrival and what it means for the strength of his side's attack now.
He said that the club are "really pleased" to have brought the forward in, revealing that she is a player they have "known about for a while."
"Last season when she was at Yeovil she had an exceptional game against us," he said, adding that she caused Villa "loads of problems." Therefore, when Destiney Toussaint departed earlier in this window, Hinchcliffe was one of the first potential replacements that sprung to mind.
Not only is Hunt happy that the 21-year-old will help fill the void left by Toussaint, but that she brings versatility to the team and gives them another option.
"Alys can cover any of the front three positions," he said. "She's quick, strong and very direct, different from the other forward players we have."
As well as that though, Hinchcliffe is another player fighting for a place in this Villa side and Hunt says competition in the squad is something he "always" wants.
"She's a very determined young lady, someone that wants to impact WSL 2," and she could do that as soon as this weekend, as the manager revealed she is already "in contention for [Villa's] match day squad on Sunday against London Bees.”